By Marlene L. Daut
What a great read! I'm talking about Julia Gaffield’s new book recently published with Yale University Press, I Have Avenged America: Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Haiti’s Fight for Freedom. I found it incredibly absorbing, and I learned so much that I even endorsed it. Here is my blurb, which appears on the back cover of the book:
“A distinguished scholar known for her precise archival research, Julia Gaffield has succeeded in the vital mission of writing a faithful account of Haitian founder Jean‑Jacques Dessalines’s life. A book for all true lovers of history, I Have Avenged America offers groundbreaking insights into the world that Dessalines made, underscoring his immense contributions to the Haitian Revolution.”
But of course, a short little blurb like this cannot do justice to Gaffield’s book. So, what follows is a slightly longer meditation on (and description of) Gaffield’s stellar achievement.
For those completely or mostly new to Haitian history, I Have Avenged America: Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Haiti’s Fight for Freedoom is an elegantly composed biography aiming to shed light on the life and legacy of Haiti’s founder, Jean-Jacques Dessalines (1758?-1806), a significant yet misunderstood figure in world history. As Gaffield (College of William & Mary) points out, Dessalines, the first ruler of independent Haiti, has not only been unjustly maligned in historical narratives, but overshadowed by other more popular figures such as Toussaint Louverture.
Known for her expertise in archival research (which included locating the first known official copy of the Haitian Declaration of Independence), Gaffield has here given herself the vital mission to bring Dessalines’s story into the mainstream. In the course of her research, judging from her citations and use of sources not found in other accounts of Dessalines’s life, Gaffield has written what will surely be considered a groundbreaking biography.
In her informative and lively introduction, Gaffield stresses how Dessalines played a pivotal role in Haiti's struggle for independence from colonial powers, serving as a military leader under French rule and later as emperor of independent Haiti. Despite his contributions, Dessalines has been largely overshadowed in historical narratives, with his legacy tarnished by misconceptions and misinterpretations, including by Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, an example Gaffield highlights. The prevailing historical narrative surrounding Dessalines has unfortunately been shaped by such racist accounts and colonial perspectives, leading to his vilification and marginalization in mainstream historical and political discourse.
Indeed, the introduction makes a convincing case that a comprehensive biography in the English language (nearly all other biographies of Dessalines are in French) is essential to rectify historical inaccuracies and provide a more nuanced understanding of Dessalines's life and impact. We have been waiting more than two centuries for a historically informed biography, such as the one Gaffield here presents, dedicated to reexamining Dessalines's life and legacy, one capable of challenging misperceptions (and deliberate slander), and which presents a more balanced portrayal of his character, motivations, and accomplishments.
In the twelve chapters of the biography, Gaffield has used a meticulous approach to archival research. The documents she cites span from France to Great Britain to Spain to Italy to Haiti, the United States, and beyond. Providing a step-by-step timeline of Dessalines's life, beginning with his earliest years on the island of Saint-Domingue as an enslaved child, through to his ascent in the military, his marriage to Marie-Claire Heureuse (including some information on her background and other family members), Gaffield then details his largely untold rise to commander over Haiti's liberating army, called the armée indigene. Throughout the chapters, Gaffield highlights Dessalines's military prowess, paying particular and sustained attention to his involvement in helping the French republican army defeat the invading army of Great Britain. Other points of focus are on how Dessalines's crucial assistance helped General Toussaint Louverture outmaneuver rival general André Rigaud during what is known as the War of the South.
Gaffield has also dealt carefully and adeptly with the post-independence period, a violent time when Haiti’s war with France had seemingly come to an end, but in reality was ongoing. Challenging the mistaken notion that Haitians committed “white genocide” after the Haitian Revolution, Gaffield shows that much of the violence that followed in the wake of Haiti’s January 1st Declaration of Independence was defensive rather than offensive. Gaffield’s book will therefore, hopefully, completely reshape understandings of the first four months of independence. As she shows, French propagandists circulated the idea that Haitians committed “white massacre” to conceal the fact that the French army had used genocidal methods during the Leclerc-Rochambeau expedition.
Toward the end of the biography, using a combination of existing scholarship and new archival finds, Gaffield provides the most comprehensive account to date of how, and perhaps more importantly why, the Haitian military promoted Dessalines from governor-general to emperor after independence. Just as important are the final chapters in which Gaffield details Dessalines's well-known but under-explored fall from power.
In October 1806 Dessalines was assassinated by members of his own military, following factions in his realm--much of which, as Gaffield shows, had to do with the fact that some of the island’s inhabitants, particularly from the south, were unhappy with the creation of Haiti as an empire instead of a republic. By meticulously analyzing ongoing divisions during Dessalines’s reign and their role in his eventual demise, Gaffield is to be commended for avoiding repetition of the factionalism (by not taking sides) as she offers insight into the complexities of Haitian politics during this tumultuous period.
I’ll leave it at that, as I don’t want to give too much away, since I really hope people will read the book for themselves. Just know that this biography, in Gaffield’s very capable and astute hands, is going to encourage a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of Haitian history, while also addressing historical injustices and rectifying long-standing and mistaken perceptions about Jean-Jacques Dessalines's legacy.
To cite this article: Marlene L. Daut, Review of Julia Gaffield, "I Have Avenged America: Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Haiti's Fight for Freedom," June 30, 2925. <https://marlenedaut.com/blog/review-of-julia-gaffield-i-have-avenged-america-jean-jacques-dessalines>